27 tips for better sleep
If you suffer from insomnia, absent-mindedness, irritability and reduced productivity are inevitable. And chronic insomnia can even lead to serious problems like apnea.
Everyone spends a third of their life asleep, and that’s a good thing. After all, sleep is a natural, physiological process that is irreplaceable for the normal functioning of the human body.
During sleep, our energy reserves are recharged, the information we take in during the day is processed and diseases are fought. That’s why you should try the following methods if you want to sleep as well as a baby.
1. Bedtime
Sticking to the time it takes you to get up and go to bed is not only extremely important for children, but also for adults. That’s why your rhythm should always be the same, if possible also on weekends. Determine the best time for you and try to stick to it regularly.
2. Getting up times
Your getting up times are no less important. Otherwise you will not be able to get a rhythm into your daily routine. If you’ve spent an hour in bed in the morning, you’ll most likely have a hard time falling asleep at the right time at night.
3. A journal
One of the main causes of poor sleep is stress. Most people go to bed with a lot of negative thoughts. For this reason, falling asleep is very difficult, resulting in restless and restless sleep. To improve this situation, you should start keeping a diary and record all positive and negative experiences there at the end of the day. Psychologists have proven that keeping a journal can help you focus on the positive, rather than the negative, aspects of life.
4. Magnesium
Another factor that influences our sleep is magnesium. Magnesium deficiency can lead to insomnia. Therefore, it is important that you eat adequate amounts of foods that are rich in magnesium. These include, for example, spinach or pumpkin seeds.
5. Medications
Sometimes the cause of poor sleep can be the use of certain medications. If you are taking any medication and notice a worsening of your sleep over time, this could indicate a side effect of the medication. For this reason, you should definitely read the package insert. Perhaps in your case it makes sense to replace the drug with another.
6. Coffee
Ingesting caffeine creates an excited state, making a person less able to relax and fall asleep. A cup of coffee in the evening can lead to insomnia or impaired sleep quality. For this reason, you should try to reduce your coffee consumption and preferably only drink one cup of coffee in the morning.
7. Modern Technologies
To understand what specifically prevents you from getting a good night’s sleep, you can turn to modern technologies for help. Nowadays there are a lot of mobile applications and special devices, for example Zeo Personal Sleep Coach, Wakemate and others. These can help you track the duration and quality of your sleep, such as Sleep Cycle for iOS and SleepBot for Android.
8. Sleep duration
The optimal sleep duration is very individual, but normally an adult person needs an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Not maintaining the norm of sleep over a long period of time can lead to an increase in cortisol levels in your body, and this can contribute to the onset of various serious diseases. Because of this, you should definitely try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a day.
9. Sleep bonus
Did you have a difficult week and often didn’t get to bed until after midnight? Then you should give yourself a bonus in the form of an extra hour of sleep to regain your strength and get back to your usual routine.
10. Siesta
A short nap in the middle of the day is very beneficial for your health. Nevertheless, your afternoon nap should be short and no longer than 30 minutes. If you sleep longer then your body will fall into a deep sleep phase and it will be very difficult for you to wake up and get back to your tasks.
11. Restlessness
Can’t fall asleep, are you tossing and turning and can’t find peace? Then just leave it, get out of bed and read a book for a while or do some relaxation exercises. That way, your body adjusts to rest and relaxation, and before long you’ll be sure to fall asleep.
12. Pets
Many people like to sleep with their pet, such as a cat or dog. But from a healthy sleep standpoint, that’s a bad idea. You can hug your pet when they fall asleep, but later in the night the animal should sleep in its own place.
13. Alarm clock
Many put their alarm clock on the bedside table, or even under the pillow if a smartphone takes over the role of the alarm clock. However, you should avoid this. If you have an alarm clock nearby, you may be constantly checking the time. That means you don’t switch off properly and your sleep quality suffers as a result. Over time, this can lead to stress, and stress, as you know, leads to poor sleep and a less healthy body.
14. Device ban
Many people spend their evenings at the computer or in front of the television. Then they turn off the devices and fall into bed exhausted. But if you’re aiming for a truly healthy night’s sleep, then you should set a ban on all devices a few hours before bed. The time before bed is the time of relaxation and should therefore be spent on quiet, relaxing tasks.
15. The bedroom
Your brain should automatically associate the bedroom with rest, so you should only use this room for resting, sleeping or having sex and nothing else. Bed is a place where you need to be able to relax and switch off. Your bedroom is for dreaming, not for work or the internet.
16. Comfort
For a healthy sleep you need to create comfortable conditions. That’s why you should buy yourself a comfortable mattress, eliminate all sources of noise, hang dark curtains on the windows to get rid of all the disruptive factors that interfere with your sleep. don’t you sleep alone Then talk to your partner about the factors affecting your sleep together and create a comfortable environment for both of you.
17. Temperature
The right temperature for your bedroom should be between 16°C and 24°C. In a stuffy room and in a room that is too hot, you would often wake up and have a hard time falling asleep.
18. Light
Bright lighting and sometimes even “harmless” light from the TV can also cause sleep problems. If you can’t eliminate light sources, use an eye mask so you can rest and sleep and the light doesn’t get in the way.
19. Sport
Physical exercises not only increase your strength and endurance, but also improve the quality of your sleep. This means in particular endurance sports in which your body is saturated with oxygen.
20. Time management
Sport improves the quality of sleep, but only if there are at least 2 hours in between. After all, during sport, the body is not only supplied with oxygen, but also with adrenaline. And adrenaline is known not exactly conducive to sleep.
21. Muscle relaxation
Before going to bed it is better to do so-called relaxation exercises. You should alternately tense the different muscle groups and relax again after a few seconds. Contract each muscle group for a count of five, then exhale and relax. You can do this exercise directly in bed so that you can fall asleep peacefully immediately afterwards. Meditation also helps prepare the body for sleep. If you have never meditated before, then you should definitely try it very soon.
22. Walks
Another secret to a good night’s sleep is evening walks. Even if it’s cold outside and you really don’t feel like getting dressed and going out, do it anyway. Get over your laziness, you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll sleep at night if you go for a walk half an hour before bed.
23. Hot shower or bath
Before you go to sleep, your body should relax. For this reason, you can treat yourself to a spa procedure just before bed. A hot, relaxing shower or soothing bubble bath will help de-stress and set you up for sleep.
24. Music
In addition to a bath, music also has a calming effect on your body. What you can listen to to relax, you have to try it yourself. Classical music, folk music or jazz, everyone has their own preferences. Find the music that evokes positive feelings in you and listen to it regularly before you go to bed.
25. Lavender
Certain aromas can also affect the quality of our sleep. Lavender is an excellent remedy for insomnia. Use scented candles or essential oils to fill the bedroom with the scent of lavender before bed. As you already know, the temperature in your bedroom should not be too warm. Your body, on the other hand, needs the warmth. Drink a glass of warm milk, cocoa, or tea before you go to bed and you’ll instantly feel tired and want to sleep.
27. Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is especially good if you have trouble sleeping. Chamomile has a calming effect and therefore helps fight the main cause of poor sleep, stress.
